Druids as alienists?

I hope this is the appropriate forum. Feel free to yell if it isn't.

One of my players has become very interested in the idea of an alienist-type prestige class for her druid. The game can certainly withstand a bit of strangeness, and she's enthusiastic about it, so I'd like to oblige. I've never tweaked a prestige class before, though, and the alienist as written (in Tome and Blood) isn't precisely what I'm looking for. I have some initial thoughts on changes; any suggestions/criticisms would be much appreciated.

1. In the prestige class requirements, swap out Knowledge (Arcana) for Knowledge (Nature).

2. Possibly add Survival to the list of class skills.

3. Take out Metamagic Secret, which gives bonus metamagic feats. I game with a very spellcaster-shy bunch of people, so I haven't really seen metamagic feats in action, but I've gotten the impression that they're mostly a wizard thing.

4. To compensate, allow the Psuedonatural Familiar class feature to apply to animal companions. This seems to be the most potentially unbalancing change, since (in my limited experience) familiars are seldom part of combat, while animal companions are.

That's mostly it. I'm not sure if I want to keep 8 ranks of Knowledge (The Planes) as a requirement. On one hand, I don't want to make the thing too awkward to get into; on the other hand, the requirement makes sense, and I'm having trouble thinking of a good replacement.

I'd like to let the PC become an effective (if weird) druid who knows of Things in the Wilds Which Man Should Not See. But, I don't want to break my game. Comments are more than welcome.


Thanks,
Adrienne

I think that you aren't really in danger at all from the proposed changes of making something overpowered. The pseudonatural familiar as it is in that class doesn't seem to have much impact on play for being that way and furthermore the minor pseudonatural tempalte isn't taht huge a boost in power. I personally would probably tailor the class a little further to suit a druid though give me some time to suggest a particular way.

In the emantime if you are interested with one of the best played alienists (wizardy one though) in action take a look at Sepulchrave's story hour in the story hour forum, It's an exceleent read so I'm sure you won't regret it.

Alienist gets a 2 point penalty to Wisdom, doesn't it? That's a big drawback for a druid.

I agree that you should keep the Knowledge (planes) requirement. It is awkward for a druid, but no worse than for a sorcerer. At least a druid has more skill points.

I would suggest that wild-shaping allow the druid to assume the hideous form of a pseudonatural. Not the full template, but the opponents get the morale penalty to attacks.

Why not award a -2 to Charisma rather than a -2 to Wisdom? In most outre fiction the Alienist has some otherworldly despicable nature about him.

Yeah, I'd second the idea of swapping the -2 to charisma rather than the primary casting stat.
-2 Cha even makes sense ~ there's just something off about the person. It's just not the same, trying to relate to people after you realize that We're All Really 9th Dimentional Creatures Forced Into Four Dimentions, Sentience Is A Lie and Reality Is But A Sandbox In The Endless Desert of Greater Being.

Once your eyes have been opened, it's a bit of a trick to pretend you're just like Them again. And people tend to pick up on that. Or so you think.



And Cheiromancer, you just gave me a wonderful idea: Alienist Shifter. Oooh that's just so pretty it hurts.

Ah, a druid of Shub-Niggurath. I hope that the other druids don't find out that character's little secret. Most would be very keen on the complete destruction of one so tainted.

Wisdom is chosen because the PRC costs you sanity IA! IA! SHUB-NIGGURATH, BLACK GOAT OFTHE WOODS WITH A THOUSAND YOUNg! WISdom is used in a couple places in the D&D ruleset for sanity [The insane undead Allip does WIS drain for example] And Maybe its me, but since that character was originally a worshipper of nature, becoming its corrupter should cost some efficency along the way.

Cthulhu Fthagn!

BTW make sure you aply the psudonatural template from tome and blood / Manual of the planes... NOT the epic level version of that template [save that one for when the psudo-druid's summon 'nature's ' ally go horrably wrong.


EPIC
CREATING A PSEUDONATURAL CREATURE
“Pseudonatural” is a template that can be added to any corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to outsider (extraplanar). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
HD: A pseudonatural creature always has maximum hit points.
Speed: A pseudonatural creature’s speed doubles, for all movement types.
AC: Pseudonatural creatures gain a +35 natural armor bonus. If the creature already has an armor bonus, use whichever is better.
Attack/Full Attack: A pseudonatural creature substitutes tentacle rake attacks for its melee attacks while in pseudonatural form. These tentacle attacks always use the creature’s best attack bonus. It also gains additional tentacle rake attacks (also at its best attack bonus) as noted on the table below.
Damage: Tentacle rakes from a pseudonatural creature deal Damage equal to 2d8 + Str modifier.
Special Attacks: A pseudonatural creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following.
Constant Insight (Su): The creature makes all its attacks with a +15 insight bonus. The creature is not affected by the miss chance that applies to attacks against a concealed target.
Improved Grab (Ex): If the creature hits an opponent smaller than it with a tentacle, it deals normal Damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Rotting Constriction (Ex): Once the creature has hold of an opponent, each successful grapple check it makes during subsequent rounds permanently drains 2d4 points of Constitution. At the same time, the creature regains 10 lost hit points.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—blur, dimension door, shield, unhallow. Caster level 20th. The DCs are Charisma-based.
Special Qualities: A pseudonatural creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following.
• Electricity and acid resistance of a varying amount related to its Hit Dice (see the table below). If the creature already possesses such resistance, use whichever is better.
• Damage reduction of a varying amount related to its Hit Dice (see the table below). If the creature already possesses Damage reduction, use whichever is better.
• Spell resistance equal to the creature’s HD x5. If the creature already possesses spell resistance, use whichever is higher.
• One extra tentacle rake attack (the creature can use another of its many tentacles to attack at no penalty while in pseudonatural form) for each 4 HD the creature has.
• A pseudonatural creature’s natural weapons are treated as epic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Hit Dice Electricity and Acid Resistance Damage Reduction Extra Tentacle Rake Attacks
1–3 15 5/epic 1
4–7 20 5/epic 2
8–11 25 10/epic 3
12–15 30 10/epic 4
16–19 35 15/epic 5
21–24 40 15/epic 6
each 4 more HD +5 15/epic +1

If the creature already has one or more of these special qualities, use the better value.
Alternate Form (Su): At will, a pseudonatural creature can take the form of a grotesque, tentacled mass (or another appropriately gruesome form), but all its abilities remain unchanged despite the alien appearance. Changing shape is a standard action. Other creatures receive a –1 morale penalty on their attack rolls against pseudonatural creatures in this alternate form.
Saves: Same as the base creature.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +22, Con +10, Dex +10, Wisdom +10, Intelligence at least 3.
Skills: Same as the base creature.
Feats: Same as the base creature.
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground.
Organization: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Up to 6 HD, as base creature +16; 7 HD to 15 HD, as base creature +13; 16+ HD, as base creature +10
Treasure: Same as the base creature.
Alignment: Same as base creature.
Advancement: Same as the base creature.

Corrupter? No no no, it's not that at all - nature is just much larger than you had previously imagined it to be, that's all.

Nature's in the rocks and the trees, the mountains and oceans... and it's in the timeless gulfs between the stars as well. Pseudo-natural still contains the word natural, after all.

At least... sort of.

^_^

Very good, just like an alienist would say it.

Wow, I didn't expect so many responses. Thanks for all of the suggestions. In no particular order...

I'm aware of the two pseudonatural templates. When the player was reading out the pseudonatural familiar bit, I nearly had a heart attack until I realized that Tome and Blood had its own template.

I'll keep the Knowledge (The Planes) requirement, but I'm still waffling on a Wisdom vs. Charisma penalty. Both arguments sound pretty good.

I like the idea of the druid's wild shape also being pseudonatural, but it reminds me that the class doesn't have any provisions for wild shape progression. Quickly glancing through Masters of the Wild, it looks like that's par for the course in druid prestige classes. I suppose I could get some input from the player about how important that is to her.

For the time being, other druids finding out about the change won't really be a problem, since the only local druid of note is going to be her mentor.

Thanks again for all the food for thought. I'm off to read Sepulchrave's story hour.


-Adrienne

Definately sounds like a cool idea, going to make a rough draft on here?